Louis goetel



2 Sheets-Sheet l* L. GOETEL.

RBGLINING CHAIR.

(No Model.)

No. 425.778. PatentedApr. 15,1890.

fvr 7,/

f/Mag n By www

ATTORNEY (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2. Y L. GOETBL.

RBGLINING GHAIBIl` No. 425,778. Patented Apr. l5, 1890.

Il l lllllHi.

,muy

lllll ATTORNEY UNITED STATES PATENT OFEicE.

LOUIS GOETEL, OF NEV YORK, N. Y.

RECLlNlNG-CHAIR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 425,778, dated April15, 1890.

Application fled March 21, 1889. Serial 110.304,099. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern: y v

Be it known that I, LOUIS GOETEL, of the city, county, and State of NewYork, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Redining-Chairs, ofwhich the following is a further object of the invention is to provide ameans whereby the movement of the vback may be regulated by the occupantof the chair without arising therefrom.

The invention consists in the novel construction` and combination of theseveral parts, as will be hereinafter more fully set forth, and pointedout in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part ofthis specification, in which similar .letters and figures of referenceindicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a chair oonstructed in accordance withmy invention, in which one arm, a portion of the frame, and the forwardsection of the segmental guide are shown in section; and Fig. 2 is aplan view of the seat, one arm being in horizontal section and likewisethe back, one arm being entirely removed, and the forward portion of thesegmental guide located beneath the removed arm broken away. Fig 3 is atransverse section on line :15x of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a vertical sectionof aportion of the back-frame and that portion of the seat-frame towhich the back is pivoted, illustrating the application of the springcontrolling the movement of the back; and Fig. 5 is a front elevation ofthe bracket employed in hin ging the back to the seat.

In carrying out the invention the seat 10 of the chair is constructed inany ordinary orv approved manner, and ateach side of the seat-frame asemicircular guide 11 is secured,

one end of each guide being secured to the A seat-frame at the rear endand the other in structed of wood, and the blocks from which the guidesare made are each provided with a central recess 12, extending from endto end, in the side walls of which recess ways are formed by introducingtherein opposed castings 13, essentially U-shaped in crosssection, asillustrated in Fig. 3, which castings or ways are adapted to receive andsupport a plate 14:, curved to correspond with the radius of the guides11, which plate is adapted to slidein the recess of the guides from oneend practically to the other. One plate 14: is provid ed for each of thesemicircular or segmental guides, and in the plates a series oflongitudinallyarranged apertures 1 5 are produced.

i Preferably iu the construction of the guides 11 that portion from thecenter to the forward end is so formed that the groove 12 therein willbe hidden from view, asbest shown in Figs. l and 3. If, however, it isfound desirable in practice, instead of constructing the guides 1l ofwood the same may be made of any suitable light metal.

The back-frame 1G of the chair is pivoted to the seat-frame in thecenter of the curve of the guides, and the said frame preferablyconsists of two strips of metal a a,bent to shape in parallel lines, thelower ends of the said strips being curved inward, as illustrated at 17vin Fig. il, whereby an outer shoulder 18 is formed, in which an apertureis produced. For a distance above the shoulder 1S the strips of metalarekept apart to accommodate one end of a spiral spring 19, which iscarried through the aperture or opening in the shoulder, as illustratedin the said Fig. 4, the body of the spring being coiled beneath theshoulder and outside' the strips constituting the back of the frame. Theback-frame extends upward through the slot or groove 12 in each of theguides, and is of sufficient thickness only to slide freely downward inthe said groove, for instance, from the center of the guide to its rearend; and the plates 14, sliding in the U-shaped castings of the guidesl1, are attached to the back-frame, as illustrated in Fig. 1, thepreferred means of attachment being to secure ablock 20 between thestrips of metal constituting the back- IOO frame, and projecting one endof said block forward from the frame, the said forwardlyextending end ofthe block being riveted or otherwise rigidly secured to the plate, asshown at 21 in Fig. 2.

The coil of the spring 19 is madeto engage with the inner face of theseat-frame, and one end of said coil is secured to the said frame in anysuitable or approved manner. The pivotal attachment of the back-frame iseiieeted by passing a pin or bolt 22 through the seat-frame from theoutside, through the coil and also through the extremities of theback-frame, the inner end of the' bolt or pin being threaded and screwedinto a threaded aperture produced in the upper end of a preferablyangle-bracket 23, (illustrated in deta1l in Fig..5,) the members ofwhich anglebracket are rigidly attached by screws, bolts, or equivalentfastening devices to the inner face of the seat-frame below the spiralspring of the back-frame, as shown in Fig. 4; or if the seat-frame isnot suiiiciently deep to permit of this attachment an offset is formedupon the said seat-frame to receive the bracket. The tendency of thespring 19 is always to support the back in the perpendicular positionshown in Fig. 1, and when the back is carried rearward to any point andnot secured the said spring is suiiiciently strong to restore the backto its normal positionthat is, its upright position.

As a means of securingA the back in various inclined positions, I employa latch in connection with the sliding plate 14. This latch or lockingdevice is contained in the armsof the chair, which arms are hollow andconsist of a rod 24, passed through the arms from the front to the rear,the inner end of which rod is connected with a bell-crank lever 25,fulcrumed in the guides 11 forward of their center, as shown in Fig. 1,which bellcrank lever has attached thereto at its free end a pin 26, solocated that it will enter into one of the apertures 15 contained in thesliding plate as the plate is drawn up'- ward and carried rearward bythe manipulation of the back of the seat: The rod 24 is controlled by aspring 27, coiled around the same within the arm, and bearing against asuitable collar upon the rodvand the stud 28 within the arm throughwhich the rod passes. The said spring so acts that normally the free endof the bell-crank lever 25 is kept in contact with the sliding plate 14.The rod is manipulated through the medium of a push-button 29, securedupon its outer extremity, the ends of which buttons constiy tutethe endiinish of the respective arms;

of each guide may. form a continuation ot each arm, the forward portionof` the guide containing the slide being f an independent piece, andsecured in place in any approved y v manner known to the trade. In everyevent, however, the rear portion of the guide constitutes rear arms forthe support of the back when said back is thrown rearward.

In operation, when the person is seated in the chair and desires toslide the back rearward, the buttons 29 are pressed inward,

and pressure exerted upon the back until it is carried to the desiredposition, whereupon the buttons 29 are released and the bellcrank leverbrought in contact, as it normally is, with the sliding plate 14. Thepin 26, integral with the said lever, will then enter the firstconvenient aperture in the plate, and thereby retain the back rigidly inthe position wherein it is placed by the operator. To restore the backto its normal or perpendicular position, the buttons 29 are pressedinward, releasing the plate from contact with the bell-crank lever,whereupon as soon as the back of the chair is relieved of the pressureof the back of the operator, the spring 19, acting automatically, forcesthe back of the chair upward.

. Having thus `described my invention, I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent- 1. In a reclining-chair, the combination, witha seat-frame 10,-a semicircular guidell, secured to the upper surface ofthe said seatframe at each side provided with a slotor groove 12,extending from end to end, a backframe 16, pivoted to the seat-frame atthe center of the curve of the guides, and a spring 19, controlling thesaid'back-frame, of an apertured segmental plate 14, adapted to slide inthe grooves of the guides andsecured at one end to the back `of theframe, an elbow-lever 25, pivoted `in each guide, provided with a pin26, capable of entering the apertures 15 in the sliding plate, and a rod24, secured at one end of said elbow-1ever and extending longitudinallythrough the arm of the chair, a knob29, carried on its outer end, and aspiral spring coiled around the rod within the arm and adapted to bearagainst the shoulder 28, forming apart of the arm, substantially asshown and described.

2. In a reclining-chair, the combination, with a seat-frame, asemicircular guide secured to the upper face of said frame, one at eachside, and having a groove extending from end to end, and a hollow armattached to each of said guides, of a back-frame pivoted to theseat-frame at the center of the curve of the guides and passing upwardthrough the groove in said guides and having apertured shoulders, aspring attached IOO IIO

' provided with a pin capable of entering aper- 425me s levers, allcombined for operation substanf tially as shown and described.

LOUIS GOETEL.

to the seat-flemmev and extending up through the apertured v shouldersinthe back-frame" an angle-level' fulcrurned in each guide and tures inthe sliding plate, anda spring-:Lein- Witnesses:

ated rod held to slide in each of the anms and J. M. ONEIL, connectedone with each tothe said anglel J AUSTIN FARLEY.

